Marginal gains have shaped modern performance cycling, but have we gone too far and are they now inadvertently and unwittingly costing us performance?

In this episode, Caley Fretz flips the script to interview Ronan Mc Laughlin about his deep-dive investigation into how the once-transformative philosophy of stacking small advantages has evolved into a marketing arms race.

Together, they explore the unintended consequences of chasing ever-smaller improvements: compromised fit, overlooked fundamentals, misleading marketing, and the fear of missing out that drives unnecessary upgrades. From integrated cockpits to the psychology of performance, this candid conversation asks whether we’re still gaining, or just hoping not to fall behind.